Safety apparatus for railways.



T. M. FREEBLE.

SAFETY APPARATUS FOR RAILWAYS.

APPLICATION FILED 015028.191].

Patented Nov. 9, 1915.

mmwlri COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH 60., WASHINGTON D c TI'NTTED TATE PATENT @FFTQE.

THOMAS M. FBEEBLE, OF ROCHESTER, PENNSYLVANIA.

SAFETY'APPARATUS FOR RAILWAYS.

Application filed December 28, 1911.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, THOMAS M. FREEBLE, of Rochester, Beaver county, Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Safety Apparatus for Railways, of which the following is a full, clear, and eX- act description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view showing one arrangement of track circuits used in carrying out my invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing a modified arrangement of a portion of the track circuits. Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating the apparatus carried by the train or vehicle.

My invention has relation to safety apparatus for railways, and is designed to provide apparatus of this character adapted for use on roads employing block signal systems and for use in connection with such systems as an adjunct thereto.

A further object of my invention is to provide a safety apparatus of the character which is so arranged that any disarrangement of the system or any breaking down of the insulation therein will set a signal at danger and thus indicate the fact. In other words, my system is so arranged that if my improved safety apparatus used in connection with block signaling should get out of order, or the insulation therein break down, the signal will be transferred back to the safety apparatus in the preceding block, thereby compelling the train to stop before it reaches. the block in which the safety apparatus is out of order.

My invention provides simple and effective means whereby a train or vehicle may be automatically stopped, or have its speed controlled, by track conditions in another block.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 9, 1915.

Serial No. 668,353.

marked A and D. a; designates the insulation separating blocks A and B; Z) the insulation separating blocks B and'G; and c the insulation separating blocks O and D. B, B 13 designate batteries or other sources of signaling current, which are connected across the respective blocks near the outgoing ends thereof. It, R, R designate track relays of any well known or suitable character, which are connected across the respective blocks at the entrance ends thereof.

S, S, S designate signals guarding the entrance to the respective blocks 13, (l, D, and controlled by the armatures of the respective relays R, R, R in any well known or usual manner.

The parts as thus far described may all be as commonly employed in block signaling systems, and in themselves constitute no part of my invention.

In accordance with my invention, in the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, I place in one of the track rails (in the present instance, in the track rail T), near the outgoing end of each block, a short insulated rail section 2. Each of these short insulated sections 2 is connected by a conductor 3, armature con tact at, armature 5 and connections 6, with the track rails T, T, this connection extending around one of the insulations 2 for the track section 2.

7 designate connections which extend around the insulated sections 2, for the purpose of conveying the signaling current into the rail sections between the insulated sections 2 and the ends of the respective blocks.

Each armature 5 is controlled by an electro-magnet 8, whose winding is connected in series in a circuit 9, having a source of current 10, and which includes the armature of the track relay of the next succeeding section; That is to say, the magnet 8, which is placed adjacent to the end of the section A has its winding included in the circuit which includes the armature of the relay R; the magnet 8 near the end of the block section B has its'winding in a circuit 9which includes the armature of the track relay R and so on throughout the system.

I also preferably place insulated joint 11 in the track rail T in each block, and eX- tend conductors 12 from opposite sides of this insulated joint to the insulated rail section 2 in the next preceding block section, so that the conductors 12 and section 2 form abridge around the insulated joint 11.

I provide the train or other vehicle with a special contact wheel 13, carried by a suit able support 14, and arranged to travel on the track rail T. I also place a magnet 15 on the train or other vehicle, and connect the winding of this magnet on one side through a battery 16 with the contact wheel 18. The other side of the winding of the magnet 15 is connected to the aXleS of one of the wheels 17 of the vehicle.

The armature 18 of the magnet 15 forms part of a local circuit 19, which operates or controls a train-controlling device 20. This device 20 mav be, and preferably is, on steam roads, of a character to apply the brakes when actuated; but it may be any speed-controlling device, such as a lever which controls the motive power, and is arranged to shut off the motive power when actuated. Devices of this character are well known in the art, and hence I have not illustrated and described such devices in detail.

The operation is as follows :-The 1nag net 15 is in a normally closed local circuit, which is completed through the track rails. lVhen the contact wheel 13 is engaging one of the insulated track sections 2, the circuit of the magnet will still be completed by reason of the connections 3, l, and 6, provided the magnet coil 8 is energized and the armature 5 is in its raised position as shown in'Fig. 1. The magnet 8 of any block section will. remain energized so long as the signal guarding the entrance to the succeeding section is in its safety position. lVhen, therefore, a succeeding block section is clear, the train or other vehicle will pass over the short section 2 of any block without any effect upon the magnet 15. If, however, the track relay of the succeeding section is deenergized by the presence of a train, or from any other cause which results in such deenergization, its armature is dropped, and this in turn opens the circuit 9 extending back to the preceding block section and thereby de'e'nergizes the magnet 8 of that section. This drops the armature 5 of such magnet and breaks the connection from the insulated section 2 to the rail T. Under these conditions, when the contact wheel 13 engages the short section 2, this short section 2 is completely isolated electrically from any other part of the track; and the circuit of the magnet 15 is broken. The magnet 15 is, therefore, deenergized and drops its armature 18, thereby actuating the control device 20.

The form of my invention shown in Fig. 2 is the same as that described in Fig. 1, except that instead of a single insulated track section 2 in each block, I may employ a succession of such sections as designated at 21. Each of these sections is connected with the opposite track rail T, in the same manner asin the magnet 8. In this figure, I have shown a plurality of magnets 8*, each with an armature 5 forming a part of the respective connections from the particular insulated section 21 to the opposite track rail. In practice, however, but one magnet will be employed with multiple connections to the various sections 21, said magnet hav ing a plurality of armatures 5*. A plurality of magnets are shown in Fig. 2 for convenience of illustration only. If desired, short insulated sections may be placed in both the track rails, as also shown in Fig. 2. I employ the insulated joints 11 and the conductors 12 as a precaution against breakage of the short rail section 2. It will readily be seen that should this rail section break between the joints where the two conductors 12 are connected thereto, that the track relay of the corresponding block section will be open-circuited, causing said re lay to immediately drop its armature and set the signal to danger. These connections, therefore, form'means for indicating breakage of the rail sections 2. Should the insulation separating the rail sections 2 from the adjacent track sections break down in service, it will be readily seen that the track relay of that section will be short-circuited, and will immediately drop its armature and set the signal for that block at danger. For instance, should the in'sulationfail at the right-hand end of the short rail section 2 in the block B,'the current will flow from bat tery B to the track rail T, thence to conductor 3, armature contact 4, armature 5 and conductorb, back to the railT, thus forming a short circuit for the battery B This short-circuits the relay R for the block B, and will set the signal S at danger. By short-circuiting the relay R, it also opens the circuit of the magnet 8 in a preceding block. Should the insulation 2 at the left-hand end of this contact section 2 fail, current will then flow from battery B to rail T, thence through conductor 7 into the short rail section 2; thence through conductor3, contact 4, armature 5 and conductor 6 back to the rail T, and thence to battery. This again short-circuits the battery B and the relay R.

The advantage in employing the plurality of short insulated sections, as shown in Fig. 2, is as follows :-If a single short section is employed, there is a possibility that a train passing rapidly thereover might fail to have its magnet 15 deenergized; Whereas,

if a plurality of such sections are employed readily applied thereto at a relatively low 7 cost. It forms means of positive and effective character whereby notwithstanding the failure of the engineer, either through negligence or otherwise, to observe a danger signal, the train or other vehicle will be brought to a stop, if the condition of the signal requires this, and and makes it impossible for a train to enter a block which is guarded by a danger signal.

While I prefer that the device 20 shall in all cases operate to stop the train or other vehicle, it is, of course, within the province of my invention that said device shall simply operate a cab signal; and I desire the term controlling device as used in the appended claims to be understood as embracing a cab signal.

hat I claim is 1. In safety apparatus for railways, track rails divided into block sections, one of said rails having in each block a relatively short rail section which is insulated from the adjacent sections, and a rail of another block having an insulating joint therein, and circuit connections leading from the said short insulated rail section to the last named rail and connected thereto at opposite sides of the said joint, together with a source of signaling current connected across the rails of each block, a circuit connection forthe signaling current around the short rail section of each block, and a signal controlling relay connected across the track rails in each block; substantially as described.

2. In safety apparatus for railways, the combination with a track relay and a signal controlled thereby and guarding the entrance to a block section, of a short insulated rail section forming a part of a track rail in a preceding block, a magnet coil, a circuit for energizing said coil controlled by the armature of said relay, an armature for said coil, connections from the armature to opposite track rails of said preceding block, one of said connections being with the said short insulated rail section, speedcontrolling means carried by the train or other vehicle, and a circuit for said con trolling means normally closed through the track rails; together with an insulated joint in one of the track rails in another block section, and connections around said joint, said connections including the major portion of the said insulated rail section; substantially as described.

3. A block signaling system having its track rails divided into blocks, a source of current connected across the rails of each block, a track relay also connected across the rails of each block and controlling a track signal, one of said rails having in each block a relatively short contact section which is insulated from the adjacent rail sections, a relay for each of said short sections, said relay having its circuit extending forward to and controlled by the signaloperating relay of a preceding block, each relay for the short track sections having an armature, and a circuit connected at one end to the adjacent short section and at the opposite end to the opposite track rail in the same block and of which the armature of the relay for that short section forms a controlling part, each of said short sections being electrically connected in series in the track circuit of another block; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

'I. M. FREEBLE.

WVitnesses H. M. CoRwrN, GEO. I-I. PARMELEE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

